Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster made a lot of headlines in 2020, and some not necessarily for his work during the games. Below, we look at JuJu Smith-Schuster‘s 2021 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
Smith-Schuster made a lot of headlines due to his presence on social media, his pregame dances and other assorted antics. But he also had a pretty good season that nobody is talking about.
The 24-year-old receiver played a full 16-game schedule for the second time in his four-year career. He racked up 97 receptions to come up just short of his second 100-catch season, and he caught a career-high nine touchdowns.
Smith-Schuster’s 8.6 average yards per reception was a career low, but his catch volume was up from 2019, and so was his scoring. In fact, he was good for 56 points, also accounting for a successful two-point conversion grab.
Smith-Schuster’s ADP: 89.37
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com)
Fantasy managers seem to be shying away from Smith-Schuster, gravitating toward his WR teammates in Diontae Johnson (average pick – 71.55) and Chase Claypool (average pick – 89.08).
I just don’t get the disrespect for Smith-Schuster. Antics aside, he is still a tremendously productive receiver, especially for those in PPR formats.
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Smith-Schuster’s 2020 stats
Receiving: 97 receptions (128 targets) for 831 yards
Touchdowns: 9 receiving
Fumbles: 3 total (1 lost)
Where should you take Smith-Schuster in your fantasy football draft?
Smith-Schuster has been, on average, going in the area of Round 7-8. Why people are higher on Johnson than Smith-Schuster is beyond me. Smith-Schuster’s catch volume is very, very high, and PPR owners should start snapping him up at the tail end of Round 5 into Round 6.
I am not totally enamored with QB Ben Roethlisberger, as the aging play-caller is a shell of his former self. Even though Smith-Schuster averaged 5.5 yards per target, he posted 409 yards after catch (YAC) to rank 22nd in the NFL.
His downfield plays might be lacking, but Smith-Schuster adjusted, and was still very, very productive in 2020. He’ll have a similar season in 2021, and anyone who drafts him as a WR2 will not be disappointed, especially in PPR formats.
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